A Jolly Good Feller

Sam Feller ’07 is the recipient of a prestigious Department of Homeland Security Scholarship—a
two-year, full-tuition award that includes a generous stipend and an internship at DHS next summer. Intended for students studying science and technology, only 10 percent of those who applied nationwide received awards in 2004.

As part of the application process, Feller wrote an essay explaining what he could do for the Department of Homeland Security. But his answer, really, can be applied to all aspects of his life:
“It’s not a question of what I can do, it’s what I want to do.”

And what he wants to do—whether during his internship next summer or after graduation from WPI—is research and development. “I have always been interested in high-end defense work,” he says.

Since high school, Feller has been accruing an impressive list of accomplishments. As a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., he developed a prototype of a lacrosse stick. An avid fan who has played goalie since the eighth grade (and continues to play at WPI), he created a goalie stick made of carbon fiber.

“The lacrosse stick was something original that no other company had on the market,” he says, adding that he has since turned his attention to other lacrosse-related inventions. He won’t divulge specifics because he hopes to obtain patents for his ideas in the near future.

Feller says he chose to come to WPI because of its
project-enriched curriculum, but since arriving on campus he has also become involved in the university’s diverse extracurricular activities. As a freshman, he joined the Ballroom Dancing Club, though he had to stop last year when practice sessions conflicted with lacrosse. He also is active with his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon.

“The fraternity is the first place where most of us have had real responsibility,” says the TKE brother. “But it’s the best place to learn because your friends are there to help and support you.”